A Ring of Surprise: In the Land Where Shadows Lie
by Amy Winters
Summary: Sequal to A Ring of Surprise] The Fellowship has been separated and Krystal, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam are on their way to Mordor. But will they survive their journey or will the darkness overcome them? Last chapter is now up!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yay! New fanfiction! If you haven't read A Ring of Surprise (not this one) before or only read a few chapters, I highly suggest you go back and read it. You're probably going to get confused if you don't ^^;  
  
For those who have… I hope you like this new fanfiction! And here it is; A Ring of Surprise: In the Land Where the Shadows Lie  
  
**  
  
Krystal, Merry, Frodo, Pippin and Sam had disappeared into the forest of the eastern shore just as Aragorn and the others got back down to the boats.  
  
"Where are they?" Isabella asked as she looked around. "Aragorn?" Aragorn was standing on the edge of the shore, looking out at the Eastern Shore where the boat that Krystal and the others had rowed over on.  
  
"They have reached the Eastern Shore, as I suspected," he said.  
  
"Come on, then!" Isabella began to push one of the boats out into the water when she stopped and looked at Aragorn. "What is it?"  
  
"Krystal and the others are far out of our hands," he didn't take his eyes off of the forest as he spoke, as if wanting them to come back. "Their fate no longer goes with ours, and I believe that's how they expected it when they set off."  
  
"But what now?" Aria asked. "Where do we go?"  
  
"To Gondor," Aragorn said. "We must travel without stopping during the day, though. We have a great distance to go."  
  
"Gondor?" Isabella said, looking into the east.  
  
"Yeah!" Aria suddenly yelled out, punching her fist into the air. "Goin' to Gondor, whoop! Whoop!"  
  
"Why Gondor?" Isabella said, looking at Aria like she was a manic.  
  
"There is a shadow drawing near," Legolas said as he looked towards the east as well. "I've felt it since we left Lothlorien, like a darkness trying to cover the world around us. Is that not it, Aragorn?"  
  
"It is," Aragorn nodded. "I sense that Mordor is working quickly, trying to capture the Ring quicker that we could imagine." Aragorn gave a final look at the Eastern Shore before turning away and saying, "Let's go, we have many miles to travel."  
  
**  
  
A/N: Again, sorry I write such short chapters. Heh… you probably noticed that Aria is acting a little… how should I say… strange? That's 'cause I'm matching her personality to my friend Ariana's since I based Aria on her.  
  
If you would like to know when the next chapter is out, e-mail me at AWinters64@hotmail.com and I'll add you to my mailing list.  
  
More to come soon! (Hopefully ^^; ) 


	2. Climbing of a CliffSorry this chapter is...

Krystal stumbled over a few times while walking through the forest before they came to a clearing and were finally out. They had walked for two hours non-stop, hoping that nothing evil was following them. They had walked a very short distance before coming to the edge of, what seemed to be, a very steep cliff, which looked like, would not be willing them to let them climb down. Falling down it would probably cause a painful, yet not quick, death.  
  
"What do we do now?" Krystal asked them.  
  
"Don't worry," Frodo said. "Sam and I found that if you have a bit of rope with you it should be hardly any trouble climbing down."  
  
"Unless, of course, you have that Sméagol following you." Sam added as he got rope out of his pack. They tied the rope to a heavy log that lay near and started climbing down. Frodo went first, followed by Sam and then Merry. Krystal had only gotten a foot or two down when a piercing shriek came from above them not far away. Krystal almost let go out of surprise but quickly caught her grip. She calmed down and started climbing down another inch when—Snap! The rope broke.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Hah, cliff hanger =P I know I didn't put an author note in the beginning, and I'll probably start doing that unless I have something important to say.  
  
If you want to know when the next chapter is out, e-mail me at AWinters64@hotmail.com and I'll alert you when a new chapter is out. More to come soon! (I'm most likely going to type it up in a few minutes). 


	3. Chapter 3

Krystal gave out a yell of surprise as the rope broke and felt herself falling. She felt a hand grab her wrist as she struggled to grab onto a rock, a small ledge—anything that could help her from falling. Pippin helped her get back up onto the top of the cliff as the rope slid down below Krystal.  
  
"Are you all right?" Merry yelled from below.  
  
"I'm fine!" Krystal yelled down to them, panting slightly. "I think we may have to find another way down, though."  
  
"How'd the rope snap like that?" Pippin asked.  
  
"I don't know," Krystal said as she got up. "Maybe it wasn't strong enough?" Pippin went over to the remaining rope that was still tied around the log.  
  
"No," Pippin shook his head. "It didn't snap by itself."  
  
"What are you saying?" Pippin took the end of the rope in his hand.  
  
"Someone cut it. See how even the strands where the rope broke is?" Krystal nodded. "There's no way it could break all by itself and be that even looking."  
  
"But who would be following us?" Krystal asked.  
  
"Probably someone in league with Sauron,"  
  
"Well I know that," Krystal said. "What I meant to say is why? I mean, I didn't think anyone besides Elrond, Galadriel, and the Fellowship knew that I had the Ring." Pippin shook his head.  
  
"I can't think of anyone. You haven't put it on before have you?" Krystal shook her head. "Well, let's leave those questions for when we can actually answer them and spend our thoughts on finding a way back down there. It's obvious that they can't throw the rope back up here." Krystal and Pippin turned and started walking down a path, sticking close to the cliff so that they could see if there was another way down.  
  
A dark figure lurked unnoticed in the trees ahead of them, listening to their conversation before walking off deeper into the shadows.  
  
**  
  
A/N: I'll try to have the next chapter up A.S.A.P. If you want to know when the next chapter is up, e-mail me at AWinters64@hotmail.com. More to come soon! (Hopefully ^^; ) 


	4. Walking in the Dark

A/N: A note to my first reviewer of this fanfiction, Meitantei Kudo KID: No, it's not "him"…. Or is it?  
  
Hah, I love doing that  
  
**  
  
Krystal and Pippin had been walking for two hours in the forest near the cliff, still trying to find another way down.  
  
"Can't we rest for a few minutes?" Pippin asked as his feet started getting tired.  
  
"Fine with me," Krystal sat down with her back to a tree, setting her pack down beside her. "I hope the others are all right."  
  
"It's sort of strange,"  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Oh, sorry," Pippin set his pack down and sat down next to her. "I was just thinking to myself."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"It's just strange that there was another Ring. I mean, when Frodo destroyed the other one, it looked like Sauron had come to his end." Krystal nodded.  
  
"Let's not talk about the Ring around here, as we're so close to Mordor," She said as she looked around. "Whoever cut that rope might still be around." Pippin nodded as he closed his eyes, planning just to rest for a few minutes.  
  
~~  
  
Pippin and Krystal woke up as it started getting dark.  
  
"Oh, great," Krystal said as she got up.  
  
"What?" Pippin said sleepily as he opened his eyes.  
  
"We have to get going, it's getting dark already." Pippin nodded and got up. They walked for a while in the forest, not sure if Frodo and the others were near or far ahead of them. Krystal felt something tap her shoulder.  
  
"What?" She asked Pippin.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Didn't you tap my shoulder?"  
  
"Not that I know of,"  
  
"Strange, I could have sworn someone did,"  
  
"What?" Pippin asked as he felt something tap him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you tap me?"  
  
"No," Krystal looked around, not being able to see a lot since it was getting to be very dark now. She could only faintly see Pippin's face since the thick trees were blocking the moonlight.  
  
"What is it?" Krystal felt something tap her again.  
  
"What is what?"  
  
"Didn't you tap me just now?"  
  
"I told you, I didn't,"  
  
"You swear?"  
  
"I didn't,"  
  
"OK, this is just getting weird," Pippin said as something tapped him on the back.  
  
"What was that?" Krystal said as she heard something snickering. She stopped walking and looked around, though she couldn't see. Pippin shook his head. Something hit Krystal on the arm.  
  
"What the--?" Krystal moved her arms in the dark and hit something.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Sorry Pippin!"  
  
"That was my nose!"  
  
"I said I'm sorry!"  
  
"Where are you?" Pippin said, walking blindly past a few trees.  
  
"I'm over here,"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Over here," There was a thud as Pippin walked straight into a tree.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Pippin, just come to my voice,"  
  
"That's what I'm trying to do," Pippin walked slowly towards her voice and ended up walking right into her.  
  
"Watch it!" Krystal's foot slipped and she gave a yell as she fell down a steep rocky hill. She rolled all the way down to the bottom and lifted her head up just as Pippin came tripping down the hill as well. Her head hit a hard rock as he fell on top of her and she blacked out.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. You know the routine if you want to know when a chapter's out. Next chapter coming soon! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm sooo sorry it took me this long to get out another chapter. I went on a three-day trip with my friend Samantha and I just got back. Eh, and before that I was just clue-less on how to finish the chapter ^^;  
  
Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope you like it!  
  
**  
  
Merry, Sam and Frodo looked down at Krystal and Pippin, clearly confused. It was a while before either of them said anything.  
  
"What are they doing?" Frodo finally said, breaking the silence.  
  
"I have no clue," Sam said. Krystal was laying down on her back while Pippin was lying right on top of her. They both looked as if they were asleep, even though they were knocked out. Merry crouched down and poked Pippin's side. Pippin made a muttering noise but didn't move.  
  
"Well, if he didn't do that I'd had said he was dead," Merry said. Frodo nodded in agreement.  
  
"What about Krystal?" Merry poked Krystal's side. She groaned but didn't open her eyes.  
  
"Wake up!" Merry yelled. Pippin muttered something and opened his eyes, looking up at Merry.  
  
"Oh, hello Merry,"  
  
"Who's yelling?" Krystal said as she opened her eyes.  
  
"Hello yourself," Merry said. "I am was. Pip, why are you on top of Krystal?"  
  
"Why am I what?" Pippin looked at Krystal and then quickly got off of her. Krystal sat up and put her hand on the back of her head. The inside of it felt horrible as if she had smashed it up against something hard—which she had. Her vision was a bit blurry and when she brought her hand back around she saw a bit of blood on it.  
  
"What happened?" Sam asked, seeing the blood on her hand.  
  
"We couldn't see anything since it was so dark and Pippin ran into me," Krystal explained. "I fell down the hill and hit my head on a sharp rock."  
  
"I sort of tripped while coming down the hill and hit my head as well, though while I was coming down," Pippin said. "I guess I landed on top of her while I was knocked out."  
  
"Well whatever happened we've found each other again," Frodo said. "So there's a bit of a bright side." Krystal got up and looked around, being able to see now that it was bright out.  
  
"What day is it?" She asked.  
  
"One day since we left the others, so I'd say the twentieth of July," Frodo said.  
  
"Let's get going then," Krystal said. "I don't really want to be in Mordor when it's winter." Now that they were back together they continued on their way towards Mordor.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Sorry if that seemed short, like all my other chapters (except, perhaps, for the chapter before this one).  
  
Please review! I love reading your reviews, they really make me keep writing ^^  
  
If you want to be alerted when the next chapter is out, you know what to do (at least I hope you do by now).  
  
Next chapter coming soon! 


	6. A Stranger and A New Name

A/N: *pouts* So little reviews.. Please review!!!! I love your reviews, I can't type without them!!! ... *ahem* Sorry about that, I've been reading some good funny fan fictions lately and they've gotten me into good moods ^^ Since ff.net isn't letting me upload my chapters right now *kicks ff.net* and the site isn't letting anyone review or anything like this (oh, just FYI, I'm typing this up on July 3rd right now), I'll have lots of time to write chapters. Well.. Hopefully. I'm going on another trip, but when I get back I'll try to do nothing but type!!!!!! Anyway, here's the new chapter and, again, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Also, I've been getting some e-mails from a few of you readers who have been begging me to get back to Aragorn, Legolas, and. well. mainly just those two; but, sadly, I'm at writers block when trying to write about their journey to Gondor, so this fanfiction has turned into mainly a story about Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Krystal's journey to Mordor. well, at least until I can think up something to write about Aragorn, Legolas, Aria, Isabella, and Gandalf. Please either review or e-mail me ideas for upcoming chapters!  
  
** Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Krystal continued walking for a very long time, only briefly stopping on their journey towards Mordor for meals. They seldom, if ever, talked, each being in tuned to their own thoughts.  
  
"There's one thing I'm confused about," Sam said tiredly to Frodo as they slowly walked up a steep hill. "When the Ring was destroyed before, Mordor was pretty much destroyed as well. But if it was, then wouldn't Mount Doom not be there anymore, thus making it impossible for us to destroy it there?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Sam," Frodo said. "We'll just have to find out for ourselves when we get there."  
  
They journeyed on more miles, each seeming longer than the next. It had just started getting dark when their first sign of trouble, since they reunited with each other, came. They had started slowing down, all off them starting to get tired when they heard a loud screech coming from up above them, a screech that made all of their insides tighten and made them feel like an evil darkness was covering them. It was a screech that they all recognized very well.  
  
"Quick, hide!" Krystal yelled. They quickly darted into some nearby bushes, keeping as quiet as they could. They had hid only just in time. A few seconds later two dark shapes flew above them: Ringwraiths, searching for the Ring. They waited until the Ringwraiths had passed far out of view before they came out from the bushes.  
  
"That was a close one," Merry said.  
  
"Too close," Frodo said as he got out from one of the bushes.  
  
"You shouldn't take chances, it could cost your life," Came a voice from behind them. They whirled around to see where the voice had come from, but no one was there to be found. A man jumped out of a tree behind them, scarring the wits out of Merry.  
  
"Sorry if I frightened you," Said the man, looking down at Merry. The man was tall with rugged hair much like Aragorn's, though his was brown. He was wearing clothes like a Ranger and had a sword in a hilt at his side. "Morion, at your service." He said, giving a deep bow to them. "I just couldn't help but notice the path you're on. It seems very perilous." None of them said anything but just stared at him, not knowing whether to trust him or not.  
  
"No need to fear me, I am not an enemy unless you are one," he said, noticing the faint note of mistrust in them. "May I know your names? For I believe it is only custom to introduce to each other."  
  
"Frodo Baggins," Frodo said, hesitating at first.  
  
"Samwise Gamgee," Sam said.  
  
"Meriadoc Brandybuck,"  
  
"Peregrin Took," Morion nodded at them. "And you are?" He asked Krystal. She had been the most hesitant of them all.  
  
"Aryante," She finally said. The hobbits stared at her. "I'll explain later," She said to them.  
  
"I believe you all know what that thing was that passed over head a while ago?" Morion said, not taking hint of *Aryante's* last comment. He continued, not waiting for their reply. "I have also noticed the past dangers you have been in, away from your Fellowship. Before long you will most likely face greater dangers. I can help you there. All I ask is that you follow me, for I can lead you on a safer path than the one you seem to be taking. My only question is, will you follow me?"  
  
The hobbits and Aryante looked back and forth at each other for a while, as if communicating through thought. Finally Frodo said aloud, "What other choice do we have?"  
  
**  
  
A/N: End of chapter! Please, please, PLEASE review!!!! I will have the next chapter out shortly. If you want to be notified of when the next chapter is out, I think you know the routine by now. If not, poor, poor you. Go back to the first chapter and read the ending A/N and you'll see what to do. Now all I have to do is stop writing the chapters for the third fic.. 


	7. What's in a Name?

A/N: Another chapter up! *Pouts* ff.net still not letting me log/review/post new chapters (still July 3rd) Anyway, here's the new chapter!  
  
**  
  
Aryante, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam had been following Morion for a little ways before they came to a stop.  
  
"We should rest for the night now," Morion said to them. It had gotten very dark out and it was getting hard for them to see where they were going. They walked a little ways into a forest to the left of them and set up camp. They didn't make a fire, since they all knew too well that that could direct spies of Sauron towards them. Morion walked out of the forest and onto the bare field that they had been walking on and the hobbits turned their attention to Aryante.  
  
"Aryante?" Frodo asked. "What happened to Krystal?" Aryante shrugged.  
  
"When I was little I had a friend named Elanor, she could never say Aryante right so she just called me Krystal instead. Sort of stuck after a while, so I always accidentally introduced myself as Krystal, forgetting to correct myself." They stared at her for a while.  
  
"Aryante?" Frodo said again, looking as though he was in deep thought. "That means in Elvish day. day."  
  
"Daybringer," Aryante told him. Frodo nodded.  
  
"Yeah, that's it."  
  
"Now about Morion," Merry said, seeing that Morion was a far distance away from them. "What do you all think? He seems trustworthy to me, looks like another Ranger like Aragorn."  
  
"I guess you're right," Sam said. "He does seem like the Ranger type."  
  
"I don't trust him at all," Aryante suddenly said, surprising even herself. She had always been one to trust someone; that is, unless she had been warned about the person.  
  
"Why not?" Pippin asked.  
  
"It's his name," Aryante said, partly realizing why she said she didn't trust him.  
  
"What's wrong with his name?" Merry asked. "It seems fine to me."  
  
"Its Elvish, isn't it?" Frodo asked. Aryante nodded.  
  
"Yes, it is, it's its meaning that makes me not trust him, Morion means Son of the Dark in Elvish," They all looked surprised.  
  
"I've never heard that one before," Frodo said.  
  
"It's not one used often," Aryante said. "Elves seldom, if ever, name their children Morion because it symbolizes someone dark, meaning evil. Although he isn't an elf, there are men who take up Elvish names."  
  
"You don't think that he's a spy for Sauron?" Merry asked, looking around to make sure Morion was no where near.  
  
"I'm not sure," Aryante said. "But I'm not trusting him."  
  
That night Aryante slept little. The eerie silence that came during the night made her feel as if a shadow was growing steadily towards them, and the fact that Morion was near didn't help. The others didn't seem that troubled by Morion, despite what his name meant, but that didn't stop her from not trusting him. She had lain down with the others, but her eyes we kept open through most of the night. She tried her hardest to not fall asleep, not feeling either comfortable or safe near Morion. He was awake most of the night as well, and Aryante could feel his eyes on them all, boring down on them from not far away. When the hours came upon her late into the night and the sky gave the littlest hint of getting lighter, she let her eyelids give way and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Sorry chapter is so short, but I'm at writers block right now and need some surfing of the web time. Reviews are most wanted!!!! Next chapter soon! 


	8. Chapter 8

Aryante woke up later than the others in the morning and got up and went over to where Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam were sitting.  
  
"Morning," Pippin said as she came over and sat down.  
  
"Sorry I'm up so late," Aryante said as she yawned.  
  
"It's not that late," Frodo said. "Just about ten."  
  
"We let you sleep in," Morion said as he came over, seeing that Aryante had gotten up. "Since I noticed that you didn't sleep much last night." Aryante avoided his eyes and didn't reply. The fact that he had been watching her that night didn't make her feel any better towards him. She had been hoping that she might just have been paranoid, but that remark made her feel less that.  
  
"We'd better get going," Morion said to everyone, though directing his glaze at Aryante. "Servants of Mordor are close behind, you might have felt a darkness behind us last night. That shadow has passed us, but there is surely more to come." They quietly followed Morion, each hobbit being confused as to why Aryante wouldn't trust Morion. After all, it was just a name, wasn't it? They surely had questions for both Morion and Aryante, but if they did they kept their thoughts to their selves.  
  
(A/N: OK, I'm going to skip a few days forward because if I didn't, the next few paragraphs or even chapters would be very boring. Not just for you, but also for me to type. I've figured out that that's why I get writers block so often ^^;)  
  
Four days had past since their encounter with Morion and the hobbits felt as if the danger had past them. Even Aryante was beginning to trust Morion, despite the first night that they had spent with him.  
  
"How much further?" Pippin asked as he started to tire. They had been walking at least five hours without rest.  
  
"We can stop here and make camp," Morion said as he stopped walking. "Mordor is still days away, and a long journey at that." They made camp in a nearby forest, trying their best to hide from any passing Ringwraiths or such that might journey near them.  
  
Aryante sat just barely outside the forest long after the others had fallen asleep, gazing up at the moon above them and thinking to herself. She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" It was Morion, speaking in a friendlier tone than she had heard before. She nodded and he sat down next to her, looking up at the sky as well. They said nothing for a long time and just sat there. Morion turned toward Aryante.  
  
"Why do you fear me, Aryante?" He asked, breaking the silence.  
  
"What?" She broke her gaze from the sky and looked at him, trying to sound confused.  
  
"No need to act, I sense your fear in your eyes and your voice," He said this calmly, being careful not to make her more afraid. "Why do you fear me?"  
  
"I don't know," Aryante looked down at the ground. "I suppose I'm just being paranoid." To her surprise Morion laughed.  
  
"Indeed," He said and looked back up at the sky. "Though it is not a bad thing to be, especially when you are on a quest such as your own." Aryante paused for a moment.  
  
"How is it that you know so much about our quest?" "It's not hard to guess, servants of the dark lord following you and all. It all connects in a way," He looked back at her and smiled warmly, making her feel almost like he was Aragorn. He did look somewhat like Aragorn, though, but he that smile that he put on his face just then gave her the impression of Aragorn when she had grown up around him. "You need not fear me, Aryante. I promise you that." Aryante smiled back at him and nodded. She got up and started walking back to where the others were. She stopped and turned around.  
  
"Thank you," She said.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For talking to me, it eased me in a way I can't really explain," Morion nodded and smiled at her.  
  
"Get some rest," he said. "We have a long day ahead of us." Aryante went back to the others and lay down. She closed her eyes and fell right asleep, finally feeling a little safer.  
  
********  
  
Hours after she had fallen asleep, though what seemed like minutes to her, she felt a cold hand grab her by the wrist.  
  
"What the--?" The hand pulled her sharply to her feet and grabbed her around the waist. Her first instinct was to kick who ever it was, which she did quickly. There was a yelp from the person, but it did not seem to make it let go of her. She yelled loudly, but not for long before the person took the hand that had been holding her arm and clasped it around her mouth, muffling her cries, but not soon enough. The cry woke the hobbits quickly and they were up and looking around in seconds. The person started running, still holding onto Aryante. She tried to kick herself loose, but to no avail.  
  
"Hey! Let her go!" Frodo yelled, running with the hobbits as quickly as their feet could carry them. The person that had grabbed Aryante was fast, but not fast enough; for hobbits are quick runners in times of danger and were not far behind from them. The person was looking around as they ran and quickly jumped up into a nearby tree. The hobbits ran past them, not being able to see them in the darkness of the woods. The person then jumped out of the tree and ran out of the woods. Aryante took the few seconds of light that shone from the moon to try and see who her attacker was. She could barely see its face, but she could tell that it was a man. The man ran into the forest that was ahead of them and ran as quickly as he could deep into the forest. Unfortunately for him, the light that had shone on him out of the forest gave a good light for the hobbits and as quick as wolves they were out of the forest and chasing after him. The man ran in all directions: left, right, straight, left, left, right, straight. Aryante tried to keep track of the different directions that he turned, but it was folly. He ran for a great amount of time and his hold around Aryante's waist was getting to be quite painful for her. To her relief, or so she thought, they finally came to a stop. Though why they did, she did not know. They had stopped in front of a tall and wide tree that had vines growing all over it. The man started looking around the tree and finally found what he sought. He took the hand that had been covering Aryante's mouth and pressed a knot on the tree. He quickly replaced his hand on her mouth, and just in time. Aryante gasped loudly as a wide hole, just big enough for them to fit in, opened right in the tree. The man walked into the tree and the hole closed up just as the hobbits came to it, almost closing on Pippin. Luckily for Pippin, Frodo grabbed him and pulled him back before it did. The man let his hand loose from Aryante's mouth and threw her to the ground. Her head hit a chair very hard as she fell and she landed on her side painfully as she hit a hard wooden floor. Her head felt very dizzy. She stood up as the man lit a candle in the room and just saw his face before she gave way to the pain in her head and collapsed on the floor.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Can you guess who it is? Huh? Huh? Well, we'll see. It might be who you're thinking it is, and it might not. I haven't made up my mind yet who it is. ^^; If you want to know when the next chapter is out, you should know what to do by now. Next chapter coming A.S.A.P.! 


	9. Chapter 9 hey have you noticed how my ch...

A/N: Hey, just wanted to thank pippin28 and Meitantei Kudo KID for actually reviewing. *Cries out of happiness* They loves me so much to review!!!!!!!!!!!! And pippin28, I just have to correct you. you spelled wanted and writing wrong =P  
  
.Erm. yeah. Anyway, I will have to find some way to reward you both ^^  
  
For all of your information, pippin28 is Ariana, the person whom I based the character Ari on. To those of you who feel like you should e-mail me your reviews instead. CUT IT OUT!!!. Sorry, I just like your reviews on ff.net better. *Ahem* anyway, to one of your e-mail-reviewing-people out there, I'm sure I mentioned this before, but yes, Isabella is Legolas's sister whom I based on my friend Ami.  
  
I would just like to take this time to make a note to everyone who reads this that from now on the chapters will be getting a lot darker, as you may have noticed from the previous chapter. My reasons for why this is a PG-13 fanfic will be clearly shown in following chapters.  
  
BE WARNED!!! For all of you will uneasy stomachs from reading gory things, don't blame me for it. I'm going to be getting visual description down a lot from now on, and it's not going to be pretty.  
  
Also, might be some romance in this chapter if I decide to when I'm writing the end of it ^_~ **  
  
Aryante woke from her sleep, hoping that it had all been a dream. 'Please let it have been a dream,' she thought. 'Please, just a dream.' She opened her eyes and feared the worst: it hadn't been a dream. The dimly lit candle gave her enough light to see the entire room that was in the tree. She was lying on the floor where she had fell after she hit her head on the chair and seen his face. She wasn't that surprised whom her attacker had been, but it had shocked her. She looked up and saw Morion reaching for her. She jumped up and ran to the other side of the room, keeping a far distance from him.  
  
"Now now, my dear elf," he said, trying to sound at least a little bit friendly. "No need to run from me. It won't help you, anyway. Only I know the way to get out. Why waist your strength on being so upset?" Despite his attempts to calm her in the littlest way, she looked absolutely frightened.  
  
"I'm upset because you lied to me!" Aryante said, though it barely came out of her mouth. The fact that she was stuck in a room -or more like stuck inside a tree -with him absolutely terrified her. "I was actually beginning to trust you."  
  
"Aryante, I never lied to you. I promised that you need not fear me,"  
  
"Not fear you?" Aryante asked in disbelief. "You grab me while I'm sleeping and run off with me into a tree and I'm not suppose to fear you? What reason have you for that?"  
  
"I wanted to get you out of harms way. You do not understand the danger you are in,"  
  
"I understand clearly, now let me out!"  
  
"Aryante, I'm trying to protect you," he ignored her last remark.  
  
"Protect me from what?"  
  
"From those four. You do not know what dangers they may bring. Do you really know them?" Aryante didn't say anything and diverted her eyes from his. There was something about them that made her feel like she should believe him, as if they would put her under a spell. "Do you not see what I mean? Can't you see what's going on? They don't love you, they only wish to destroy the ring or have it for themselves. And once they have what they want, they will forget you and perhaps even kill you! They only wish to bring you out far enough from anyone's reach to have what they want!" He took a step closer, and Aryante tried to block out what he was saying. It was nonsense! Yet with every step he took, his voice became more and more convincing. She shook her head, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes at any moment.  
  
"You lie," She said through choked sobs that came in place of her tears. "They would never do something like that!" Morion ignored her and took another step closer.  
  
"You care for them deeply, but can't you see? They would never feel the same for you, they only wish for the ring!" Aryante looked up at him and into his eyes. They looked warm and comforting, each trying to make her believe him, as if he would never lie to her about something so dreadful as this. But she was not fooled. Deep in the corner of his eye was a darkness that crept out, just barely showing. A darkness that revealed to her that he had lied ever since the first words he had spoken to them. The Ringwraiths weren't the only ones after the ring: he had been. Her hand automatically reached for the hilt of her sword, the only thing that Morion had forgotten she had. She brought her sword out quickly, bringing it just below his chin so that it lightly touched his neck.  
  
"Let me out unless you would like to feel an Elven blade in your throat," She said quite forcefully, though not less fearful. She was shaking with fear inside, though she was careful not to let it show.  
  
"You have forgotten something," Morion said peering down at her, the warm in his eyes now replaced with dark and cold looks.  
  
"And what is that?" Morion swiftly brought his sword out from its sheath and clashed it upon hers, knocking it away from his neck.  
  
"I am a skilled swordsman and I do not give up easily," Aryante held her sword up just as he brought it down at her, and only just in time. His sword stopped inches from her face, nearly touching the point of her nose. Morion brought his sword around and shoved her quite hard with his arm. She fell with a loud crash as she knocked into the wall and knocked over a few boxes that littered the floor. Her jaw had hit the wall hard and she could taste blood. He brought his sword around once more. She scooted out of the way with a cry, but not quick enough. Though the damage would have been worse had she not moved, the sword still cut her on her cheek, stinging her face. Morion brought the sword around swiftly again. She brought up her sword and broke the blow, but her sword was knocked out of her hand and far away from her. He brought the sword around and each time she tried to get out of the way, but he was just too fast for her. Twice his sword swiftly cut into each of her arms and she cried out in pain each time. His sword was sharper than any sword she had seen and the added speed of his arms didn't help.  
  
She suddenly noticed that if a house had indeed been built inside the tree, the walls must not be that thick. In fact, she could even hear the others outside yelling.  
  
"Help!" She yelled as loud as she had ever in her life. "Press one of the knots in the tree! Hurry!" She hoped that they heard her, but she could not say any more. Morion had brought his sword around again and she jumped out of the way, his sword cutting into her right arm once more. She grabbed her sword off of the ground and diverted his sword a little more easily. She was able to push him over when his sword met hers and she quickly ran over to him before he could pick his sword up. She brought the hilt of her sword around and hit the hilt hard on his head. He fell over on the floor and lay there still, unconscious.  
  
Just as soon as he had fallen, the opening in the tree appeared again. She ran out of the tree and dropped her sword to the ground, throwing her arms around Pippin and let the tears she had held back for so long flow swiftly down her face as the opening closed behind her.  
  
No one said anything, for they were all to glad that she was safe. Once she had calmed down a bit, she sheathed her sword once more and they walked out of that side of the forest and into the other. They walked for a few hours, wanting to get far away from Morion, though he was knocked out.  
  
When everyone had gone to sleep, Aryante still sat up against a tree, still feeling as if tears would come at any moment. Nothing that Morion had said about the hobbits seemed to affect her, and she was thankful for it. The deep breathing that came from the sleeping hobbits seemed to calm her down, since she know new that she was back with them once more. She realized, though, that the one nearest to her didn't seem to be asleep, for his breathing seemed light.  
  
"Thank you, Pippin," she whispered.  
  
"For what?" Pippin whispered back as he sat up, not wanting to wake the others.  
  
"Just for helping me through this journey, for being there for me,"  
  
"What do you expect me to do, let you be kidnapped?" Pippin joked. Aryante laughed quietly.  
  
"Not just that, from the very beginning, when we started in the Shire," She paused on what she was to say next. "The truth is. well, no, it's stupid."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, you're really the one who's been keeping my spirits up lately. Just to be walking with you on this trip helps me carry on," She thanked the night that it was dark so that the red of her face was concealed, but it was not as dark as she had hoped and Pippin could still see her face.  
  
"That's not stupid," He smiled at her, wanting to comfort her in any way he could. "There's nothing that you can say that could ever be stupid."  
  
"That's really sweet of you,"  
  
"I'm not trying to be sweet, I'm being honest," Pippin said truthfully. "To be fully honest, I feel the same way about you." Aryante looked at him. His somewhat childish face was still there as always, but part of it had been replaced with an expression that she couldn't quite explain. She knew what it was, but to put it down in words or think of it in words was impossible for her. Pippin placed his hand on hers and looked right into her eyes.  
  
"I promise you that no matter what happens, I will always protect you," he said. "Not as a member of the Fellowship, but just as myself."  
  
"Thank you," she whispered even softer than before, looking into his eyes and seeing wonderful warmth in them that she had never quite seen in anyone's eyes before when they had looked at her. It was the same look that she saw in Aragorn's eyes when he looked into Arwen's. Pippin slowly leaned forward, and their lips lightly touched together. He put his other hand lightly on her waist, lightly enough so that she could have him stop if she didn't want this. But she did. She hadn't realized it before, but she did. Her hands were both lightly placed on his chest, her arms bent down and giving into him. He got the note that she didn't mind at all and released his lips from her. Only for a second, though, and then he brought his lips back down on hers, bringing his arm all the way around her waist. He leaned back just enough for her to bring her arms out and around his neck before enclosing his lips once again on hers. He leaned forward more, causing her to slowly fall back onto the ground. A somewhat loud "ahem" noise came from where the other hobbits lay. Pippin and Aryante looked over at Frodo, Sam, and Merry who all had an eyebrow raised at them.  
  
"Not now is exactly the best time," Frodo said, a slight air of interest in his voice. "Perhaps another time when we aren't trying to destroy something?" Pippin quickly got off of Aryante, his face quickly reddening. As soon as the others had lay down and fallen back asleep, so did Aryante, feeling much safer than before and much happier.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Yep, I decided to add a little romance into there ^_^ Please don't flame me for it, for if you do, I will have all my wonderful reviewers (not just from this fic, from the previous one also) attack you. And believe me, they will. A good majority of them are my friends irl and on AIM, so I will have them hunt you down =)  
  
..um. you know the drill if you want to be notified for the next chapter. Please review!!!  
  
Next chapter soon!!!! 


	10. A Shadow in Her Mind

A/N: OK, I just have to say this before I start writing any more. Meitantei Kudo KID, you are my best reviewer yet!!!  
  
I'm currently looking for a picture of an elf that looks like Aryante to make a poster for this fanfiction. Once I do, I'm making an award for you ^_^  
  
**  
  
It was three days after Morion had attacked Aryante and she, Pippin, Merry, Frodo, and Sam were now walking for what seemed to them a year after they had left the others. They had walked at a fast pace the last two days, having wanted to get as far away from where ever Morion may be, and were now walking slower, all equally tired. Merry, Frodo, and Sam would occasionally talk, but Aryante and Pippin were silent for most of the time, being as they both felt extremely embarrassed for being caught by the others in a situation as a few nights ago.  
  
As the days slowly drew on, the scenery around them began getting less and less pleasant. The green trees that had been beside them before had now turned to dark leafless trees that gave an eerie feeling around them. The skies were no longer blue, but dark and clouded. With every step they took, Aryante felt the ring around her neck getting heavier. Also, a dark shadow had been looming in her mind since they had gotten closer to Mordor. She didn't notice it at first, but the shadow was getting clearer, nagging at her all the time, just as Morion had been at their last encounter. She tried to hide it, but the others noticed the worry on her face that seemed to stick there constantly.  
  
That night they camped for the last time in the forest, for a head of them there were no trees to shelter them from any spies of Sauron. Aryante was sitting a little away from the others, tying to shut out the shadow that was whispering in her mind. (A/N: things with the ' 'instead of the " " is when they are thinking/saying something in their mind)  
  
'You know, with the Ring of Power you could be invincible,' the shadow said. 'You wouldn't have to carry out this quest any further.'  
  
'Shut up,' she thought to it.  
  
'Forget about them over there,' the shadow continued as if she hadn't said anything at all. 'They aren't your friends.'  
  
'Shut up, leave me alone,'  
  
'The ring will give you power beyond your dreams, if you accept it you would need no friends, you would have power,'  
  
"Shut up," she muttered under her breath. The others looked up and over at her, a questioning look on their faces. Pippin got up and started going over to her to see what was wrong.  
  
'See them over there? They care nothing for you, but power can give you all,'  
  
"I said leave me alone!" she yelled out. She looked behind her where Pippin's hand was just inches away from her shoulder, an offended look on his face from being yelled at.  
  
"Pippin, I'm sorry, I wasn't talking to you," she quickly said.  
  
"Who were you talking to?" she shook her head.  
  
"No one, it's no one," Pippin paused for a moment.  
  
"Aryante, speak to you for a second? Out of ear-shot of the others?" Aryante nodded and got up. She walked for a minute with him before they were far enough from Merry, Frodo, and Sam.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked casually.  
  
"I'm worried about you, Aryante," Pippin said truthfully. "You haven't been yourself lately." Aryante looked down at the ground, as if fearing to tell him what had been going on lately. She almost felt as if he would think her insane.  
  
"Aryante, you can tell me, I won't laugh,"  
  
"I feel like a shadow has been steadily growing over my mind ever since that last encounter with Morion," she said, her eyes still on the ground. "A shadow has been trying to trick me, in a way, trying to get me to choose the ring over this quest."  
  
"Aryante." Pippin put the ends of his fingers on her chin and slightly pulled her head up so that he could look right into her eyes. "I promised you that night that I would protect you no matter what, but lately I've been feeling as if a promise isn't enough." He took his hand from her chin and took his sword out. Setting it down in front of him, he kneeled and bowed his head. Then, looking up at her, he said: "I give you an oath that I will always protect you, that I will always care for you, no matter what the outcome." Aryante smiled at him.  
  
"Thank you," she said, almost in a whisper. Pippin stood back up and moved forward, kissing her lightly. He hadn't for long when they heard a beating noise on the ground. They broke apart and looked out of the forest, the noise getting louder. Before long they could see in the distance five black horses swiftly running towards them. Aryante and Pippin ran back to the others and grabbed their packs.  
  
"Run!" Pippin yelled. The others didn't need to hear it again. They could clearly see the horses and knew what it was: five of the nine black riders.  
  
They ran quickly through the forest, trying to keep out of reach of the riders, but to no luck. Swerving around all the dead and dark trees slowed them down and they stumbled every so often, tripping on roots that lay on the ground.  
  
"It's no use!" Sam yelled. And he was right. Though the forest had been slowing the riders down a little, they had reached the end of it. The forest now cleared away into a field of dry, hard, brown grass. They were able to run faster now, being as there were no trees or roots to get in their way, but the riders were now advancing on them, getting closer and closer by ever step that the hobbits and Aryante took.  
  
After a minute, the riders were directly behind them, reaching out for them.  
  
"Help!" Aryante yelled as one of them grabbed her arm. Pippin needed no reminding of his oath. He reached for the hilt of his sword and-his sword! In the confusion of the riders' approach he had forgotten to grab his sword, which now lay back in the forest. Aryante seemed to have forgotten about her sword, though it lay sheathed at her side, and was using her other hand to try and get the Ringwraith to let go of her. Pippin grabbed Aryante's sword by the hilt and slashed the Wraith's hand that held onto Aryante. The Wraith let go in a shriek that sent a chill through all of them. As they continued to run, Pippin gave Aryante back her sword.  
  
"Thank you!" She said quickly as she jumped over a log that had lain in their way. Much to their dismay, the jump over the log sped the Ringwraiths up a bit. It was not long before each Wraith had grabbed each all of them and rode off towards Mordor.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know, seems pretty helpless now, right? Well, I'll think up something, don't worry. at least, I hope I will ^^;  
  
I'm currently at writer's block, but once I think something up I'll write it down right away. More to come soon, hopefully!  
  
You know the drill if you want to know when a new chapter's out. Please review! Oh, and Meitantei Kudo KID, I made a little award for you =) I found a pic of someone I don't know on the internet that looks like Aryante, so I made a little poster and an award for you. Go to http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/limbeomentie/BestReviewer.html to get your award! =) 


	11. Reunited

A/N: So sorry I haven't written a new chapter in a while, I was on a trip for a few days so that got me a little side tracked. Anyway, here's the new chapter!  
  
**  
  
The Wraiths had been riding towards Mordor for what seemed like days, though only a few hours. The longer that Aryante, Pippin, Frodo, Sam, and Merry spent around the Wraiths made them feel hopeless, weak, and they couldn't think of any happy thoughts from any time in their life. Also, their visions were beginning to get a bit blurry from their lack of sleep.  
  
Mordor was looming ever nearer and hope seemed impossible to come by when, to their confusion, the Wraiths started slowing down. Aryante looked ahead of them and saw what seemed like ten or twenty horses with riders, almost unawares of them. Not being able to make out who they were, all she could do was hope that they were not more servants of Mordor. She heard the sound of swords being unsheathed and felt the Wraiths starting to go faster again. Soon they could all hear swords clashing together and the shrieks of the Wraiths. In confusion the Wraith holding Aryante dropped her. She fell to the ground and, from being so weak and tired, blacked out.  
  
***********  
  
"She's got a few cuts, but nothing that looks like it was from the Wraiths,"  
  
"Good, we need her in best condition if she's to go through with this 'till the end,"  
  
Aryante slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She was lying down inside a tent and almost didn't remember where she was. She got up and, cautiously, walked outside of the tent. It was only a little light outside, the first signs of what little morning sun they would see that day just coming out from over the mountains behind them. She looked over at three people who were sitting in a small circle talking.  
  
"Aragorn!" She said as she realized who they were. Aragorn turned around just as Aryante jumped on him, hugging him as if it had been years. After all, she had missed him the most since he had been like a brother to her through most of her life.  
  
"Good too see you again, too," Aragorn said with a smile.  
  
"So, she finally awakes!" Gandalf said.  
  
"You've been asleep for two days now," Aragorn explained to Aryante as she sat down next to him.  
  
"And, if I may say so myself, you had Peregrin a bit worried," Gandalf added, a hint of amusement in his voice. "He was more worried than any of us, really. I had to drag him away from you myself so that he would get at least a little sleep."  
  
As if on cue, Pippin came running over.  
  
"You're awake!" he exclaimed, tackling Aryante in a tight hug.  
  
"Ouch!" Aryante said just as he hugged her. Pippin pulled away.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, afraid that he had badly hurt her. Aryante nodded.  
  
"I'm fine," she rubbed her arm where Morion had cut her with his sword. It stinged when he touched it, and she wondered if all the other cuts hurt as much. Pippin smiled at her.  
  
"You really had me worried. You've been asleep for two days!"  
  
"So Gandalf tells me," Aryante smiled back at him.  
  
"Back to business," Gandalf said, interrupting their gazes. "We can't all of us approach Mordor at once, as you might have guessed when we got separated." With a nod from Aryante, he continued. "Anyway, I'm afraid we must separate once more. And I'm sure you five wish to continue together as before?" Aryante nodded.  
  
"Well, at least I am. I can't speak for the others," she said.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Merry said, standing behind her with Frodo and Sam. "Of course we're coming with you!"  
  
"Besides," Frodo said. "You don't think we'd leave you and Pippin alone together, do you?" Aryante and Pippin looked at each other, both turning red. Gandalf chuckled.  
  
"So it's settled, then," he said. "You five may go and talk while we discuss which way is best." Aryante and Pippin got up and followed Merry, Frodo, and Sam away from Gandalf and Aragorn to talk about what ever they would. Aryante didn't talk with them, though she sat in a circle with them.  
  
All the while they were talking, she was thinking about that time a few nights before when she had heard before, telling her to use the Ring of Power herself instead of destroying it. (A/N: No, she doesn't have schizophrenia, if that's what you're thinking) 'It's a crazy idea, but. no, no. Stick to normal plan, stick to the plan. Nothing else will work.' She thought to herself.  
  
"Aryante?" Frodo asked, noticing the worried look on her face.  
  
"Yes?" Aryante said, breaking out of her thoughts.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you," But inside her she knew that she wasn't, feeling the shadow getting ever nearer than before.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Yes! Finally finished the chapter! I am sooo sorry it took me this long to get this chapter up. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but I'm currently in a writers block (again). So PLEASE!!!! If you have any ideas at all, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know in an e-mail or a review.  
  
Oh. also, please review. I luv getting your reviews and reading them ^_^  
  
Next chapter soon!. I hope 


	12. Farewells and A Plan

A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while to write a chapter, my friend Ariana (the one that I based Aria on) keeps coming over (we watched LotR!). Before I start this chapter, I have a little thing to say to Ariana (because of something she said in a review). I AM NOT KILLING ARIA, SO GIVE UP ALREADY!!!  
  
. OK, now for a new chapter ^^;  
  
**  
  
Aryante and the hobbits had stayed with Aragorn and the others for three days more days, but they knew that they had to start moving. They had finished packing their things, making sure to have enough food and water, and were now saying goodbye to everyone, their hearts grieving.  
  
"This is for you," Aragorn said to Aryante, handing her a smooth, hand- sized crystal. "Like Frodo's light, let it help you if in need of light if any of you are to get separated. When it glows yellow, one of your lost companions, if any of you get lost, are near."  
  
"Thank you," Aryante took the crystal from him and put it in a pocket on the inside her coat. Aragorn got on his knees as she went to hug him.  
  
"Do not worry," He said encouragingly to her and pulled out of the hug. "You will see all of us again, when this is over." Aryante nodded, trying to smile as she held back her tears.  
  
"Namarië," She tried to look brave, to look like she wasn't afraid of what lay ahead of them, but inside she was terrified.  
  
When they had said goodbye to each other, Aryante, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam left Aragorn, Gandalf, Aria, Legolas, Isabella and Julia, continuing their journey to Mordor.  
  
*******  
  
The look of Mordor didn't help at all. They had felt much better when they had been with Aragorn and the others; but now the cold chill of the air from Mordor came upon them, filling them with sorrow. They had decided to journey at night, letting the darkness give them whatever shelter from the spies of Sauron it would. They traveled for two days, both of which they talked very little if ever. It was day now and they now faced a problem.  
  
"How are we to get into Mordor?" Merry asked.  
  
"We're not going through Shelob's lair again," Frodo said. "I can tell you that." Sam nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, the East gate is sure to be guarded," Aryante said. "Also, I don't really feel like walking through the Marsh lands."  
  
"Isn't there some way that we could sneak in?" Pippin asked.  
  
"I can't think of any way," Frodo said. They were silent for a while, each trying to think up some way, if possible, to sneak into Mordor unnoticed.  
  
"The only way I can think of," Aryante said. "Is if we get captured and brought into Mordor. But then they would end up taking the ring."  
  
"Also," Sam said. "If any of us managed to escape, there would be hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Orcs chasing after us."  
  
"If only there was some way that we could get clothes like Orcs and sneak in amongst them," Merry thought out loud to himself. Aryante, Pippin, Frodo and Sam suddenly looked up at each other.  
  
"Merry, you're a genius!" Pippin said.  
  
"I am?" Merry looked up at him.  
  
"All we have to do is dress as Orcs and go into Mordor with the other Orcs!" Frodo said.  
  
"But where are we going to find Orc clothes?" Aryante asked. The hobbits looked at each other and then at Aryante.  
  
".What?" Aryante asked.  
  
"I think we have an idea," Merry said. They huddled together and told Aryante their idea.  
  
"What?! No way!" Aryante shook her head hard. "That's mad! What if they call for others to come and help them?"  
  
"Then we're doomed," Pippin said.  
  
"Well that's an encouraging thought," Aryante muttered sarcastically.  
  
"It's the only idea that might work," Frodo said.  
  
"But- "  
  
"Do you want to destroy the ring or not?" Aryante sighed.  
  
"Fine," She said reluctantly. "But don't blame me if something goes wrong."  
  
**  
  
A/N: Yes, short chapter. Too bad for you =P  
  
I had to make that the end of that chapter because I think what happens next will be a good start of a new chapter. What are they going to do?? Well, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter. You know what to do if you want to be notified when a new chapter is out.  
  
Next chapter soon!  
  
Please review!!! 


	13. Entering The Land of Shadows

Aryante slowly walked by herself down by where a few Orcs were sitting in a circle while Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo hid behind a giant bolder.  
  
'I cannot believe I'm doing this!' She thought to herself. The Orcs didn't notice her since they were talking amongst themselves. Aryante pretended to fall to the ground, her stomach on the ground, hoping to attract their attention. One of the Orcs saw her fall and told the others. They got up and went over to her.  
  
"What is it?" One of the Orcs asked, cautiously nudging her side with its foot. Aryante was careful not to react, trying to hardly breathe. Another Orc pushed her over onto her back.  
  
"It's an elf," The Orc growled.  
  
"Is it dead?" Another Orc asked.  
  
"I don't know," The Orc that nudged her said. "What's that around her neck?"  
  
'Oh no,' Aryante thought. One of the Orcs bent down and reached for the necklace that held the Ring of Power around her neck. Aryante jumped up suddenly and started to run towards the hobbits, startling the most of the Orcs.  
  
'Oh Ilúvatar,' She thought. 'Please don't have them call for more!'  
  
"Get her!" One of the Orcs yelled. The chased after her, right behind the bolder where the hobbits were ready for them. They had their swords out and killed the unsuspecting Orcs quickly before they could react.  
  
"If you EVER make me do anything like that again, I'll personally make sure each of you have only one meal a day for a month!" Aryante told them.  
  
"Well then, we'll have to be more careful with our actions around you!" Merry joked, and they laughed quietly for what seemed the first time in years. They put the Orcs' clothing over theirs, Aryante having some difficulty covering up her Elven dress that she wore since she refused the undress in front of them. Already the sun was beginning to go down, a seemingly perfect time for them to sneak in behind a few Orcs that had been scouting the area. They followed a bit behind the few Orcs, right into the North gate of Mordor. The gate slammed shut behind them and they knew there was no turning back.  
  
**********  
  
They walked off into the shadows with some difficulty. There were Orcs scouting every where, and they had a feeling that they weren't going to go unnoticed forever. Once in the shadows and far away from any Orcs, they temporarily took off the Orc clothes and laid them beside them, not feeling like having the extra weight on them.  
  
"Well," Aryante said. "What now?"  
  
"Well, Mt. Doom is still a far ways away," Frodo said, gazing ahead of them where they could see Mt. Doom. 'It seems like thousands of miles away,' Aryante thought. They decided to travel in what shadows they could, carrying the Orc clothing with them in case they had to leave the shadows for any reason. Also in case any Orcs came near. Even so, they still tried to keep as far away from any Orcs that they could, even if it was just one.  
  
They traveled for three days, only stopping every five hours for a short rest, trying to move as quickly as possible to Mt. Doom. Two times a day they would take the time to eat a little of the food and drink a very small amount of the water that they had brought with them, trying to be very conservative. They didn't know how long this might take. They guessed that, given nothing goes wrong, it should only take a week or so. But Aryante highly doubted that. Their quick pace hastened after a few days, the Ring of Power getting heavier around Aryante's neck the closer the got to Mt. Doom.  
  
"Are you all right?" Pippin asked her on their fourth day.  
  
"I'm fine," Aryante said, though she was not. The Ring of Power was quite enough to make her feel weak under its weight that it had seemed to gain, but the shadow in her mind continued to grow, wanting her to use the ring to draw Sauron to it.  
  
"It's the ring, isn't it?" Pippin smiled at her. "I know it is, as I know that you are not fine. You've felt like using it lately, haven't you?" Aryante looked at Pippin, wondering how he knew. Was it really that obvious? Pippin laughed quietly.  
  
"No, it isn't really obvious," He said. Could he read her mind or something? "And no, if you were thinking about it, I can't read your mind. I can just tell what you're thinking about."  
  
"How?" Aryante couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Your eyes tell me every thing," He said, looking straight into her deep blue eyes.  
  
"Let's see then," His eyes seemed to be searching hers, looking for something. "When you were five, you fell off of a pony. Your brother's name is Sir Stagamore and you never had a second breakfast in your life." At that, Aryante couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"No, no, and no," She laughed. "I've never fallen off of a horse, or pony, in my life. I don't have a brother, and since I've been around all four of you I have occasionally had a second breakfast."  
  
"Really?" Pippin put a dumb founded look on his face.  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For trying to cheer me up, it worked," She leaned against him, letting her head rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Pippin put his arm around her and lightly kissed the top of her head.  
  
"You're welcome," He whispered as she fell asleep for what little time they had to rest.  
  
**  
  
A/N: OK, I know that was a shorter chapter than I usually have, but bare with me, people! I have all of these ideas for later chapters, but none for the ones in Mordor! I will have the Mordor chapters go along pretty quickly so that we can get to the fun stuff in the other chapters. You know the drill if you want to be notified when the next chapter is out.  
  
More to come soon!  
  
Now, please click that "Review" button! I'd really appreciate it! 


	14. Goodbye to Mount Doom

A/N: Like I said in the last chapter, I'm speeding up the Mordor parts, so this will probably be the last chapter in Mordor. The following chapters after this will be their journey back to the Shire. After that, I will be making yet another sequel to this and it will be called In Dreams, which will most likely be another series of stories ^^;  
  
  
  
They continued their journey to Mt. Doom for five days, trying to take less rest than before because of the pace that they had started taking. Sam's pans that were hanging off of his pack had made some noise a few days ago and they had had to find some way to tie them down as to not move, since it had almost attracted a few Orcs over to them. They stopped walking after a while and looked ahead of them.  
  
"There it is," Frodo said quietly, looking at Mt. Doom. It was much closer than before, and at the pace they were walking in, they could be there in thirty minutes minimum. Aryante sighed with relief. She wanted to get rid of the ring as soon as possible. They sat down to rest for a few minutes and Pippin began skipping a few rocks on the ground.  
  
"I'll certainly be glad when this is over," Pippin said as he threw a rock. "Two times on the same quest is quite enough."  
  
"Once is enough for me," Aryante said. Pippin threw another rock further and it skipped down a steep, rocky hill.  
  
"What the--?" A voice came from below. No doubt about it, the rock must have hit whoever it was on the head. Aryante and Pippin jumped to their feet and peered over the top of the hill at who it was. Their eyes widened as they saw ten or fifteen Orcs down below them. The Orc that the rock had landed on looked up at them and yelled, "Get them!" Aryante and Pippin quickly ran to the others.  
  
"Run!" They both said, getting their attention at once. Frodo, Merry, and Sam jumped to their feet and ran after them.  
  
"What did you do this time, Pippin?" Merry yelled to him as he peered behind them, where the few Orcs were chasing after them.  
  
"I just threw a rock!"  
  
"Oh, that was a wonderful idea!" Merry said sarcastically.  
  
"Shouldn't we hide?" Sam asked frantically as he looked behind them.  
  
"No!" Aryante said, running as fast as she could with the weight of the Ring of Power. "We must get to Mt. Doom, and quickly!" No one said otherwise as they ran, not looking back again to see how close the Orcs had gotten to them. They ran as fast as they could up the steep path that led up to Mt. Doom (which wasn't very fast). The Orcs slowed down a little as the hobbits and Aryante let loose some large rocks as they ran. One of the larger rocks rolled downward and tripped the front Orc, which gave them the advantage of getting farther away from them. After ten minutes they had gotten to the top and were finally at their final destination of the cracks of Mt. Doom.  
  
"Quick, Aryante," Frodo said as he looked down the path. The Orcs were steadily speeding up again and getting closer. "Destroy it!" Aryante took the ring from around her neck and held it in her hand right above the cracks of doom when the shadow entered her mind again, this time stronger than ever. 'Why destroy it?' She was thinking, her eyes shut. 'It was my burden all this time, why give up such a powerful thing? I could be invisible with it on, not a care in the world.'  
  
"Aryante?" She opened her eyes and saw that the ring was only an inch from her index finger. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind her where Pippin was. "I know what you're thinking, but don't. Just destroy it. You have to." Aryante nodded and gave a weak smile.  
  
"I know," She said and let the Ring slip from her hands and into the cracks of doom. Though the Ring of Power was gone, the shadow had not left yet. 'Jump, you fool!' She thought. 'Get it!' She did jump. Lucky for her Pippin had been right behind her, or her life would have been gone in a matter of seconds. Pippin grabbed her around her waist the instant she gave signs of jumping and was able to prevent her fall. She struggled to get out of his grip until she gave up and watched the ring fall out of site. As soon as it was gone, she seemed to get control of herself and turned to Pippin as he loosened his grip on her. They felt the ground shaking beneath them and looked out of the opening from where they came where what seemed like a giant eagle had flown down to them.  
  
"Once I helped two of you hobbits escape this place, and once more I will if you so choose to get on my back," He said as he landed. The five of them quickly ran over as Mt. Doom started to shake harder under their feet and climbed onto the eagles' back. The eagle rose high in the air and flew them away from a place that none of them would ever go or see inside of it again.  
  
**  
  
A/N: I am sooo sorry that it took so long to get that chapter out! I have been reading a really good Lord of the Rings fanfiction lately (called Eternal by eLiJaH's AnGeL, I highly recommend it!) and I've been really side-tracked lately since school is starting on Wednesday. Just for your information, the reason I said it was just a bird was that I couldn't remember the name of the eagle. I think it's Gwathir, but I'm not sure and am too lazy to look it up right now =P  
  
I promise a new chapter soon! 


	15. Of Songs and Other Stuff

A/N: This takes place about one or two months later in Rivendell since if I wrote what happened between the time of the destroying of the ring and their journey to Rivendell it would be pretty boring. So, here's the next chapter!  
  
**  
  
Aryante woke up in a large bed in Rivendell and almost thought it had all been a dream. After all, she had woken in the same place many times in her life. She opened her eyes and looked across the room where Pippin was gazing outside from the balcony. Though no sound came from her, he immediately turned around and ran to her side, greeting her with a rather friendly kiss.  
  
"You slept in, you know," Pippin said as he pulled away. Aryante shrugged.  
  
"I was tired," She said. "That quest really took a lot out of me."  
  
"Well you've woken up so now you have no choice but to get up," Pippin said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of bed before she had any time to argue. Aryante laughed a little.  
  
"All right, all right," She said yawning. "Just let me get dressed and I'll be right out." Pippin left the room and waited outside for her. Aryante went over to a chair where a red Elven dress was laying and put it on. She walked out of the room where Pippin was waiting.  
  
"Come on," Pippin said as he grabbed her hand. "Everyone is waiting!" He pulled her quickly down the hall and she felt that she was likely going to trip on her dress at the speed he was going, especially since she was still a bit tired. He led her outside to the area where the Fellowship had been joined together. Everyone was sitting in chairs next to each other as they once had, though no unhappiness was in the air as it had been before. They were all cheerfully talking to one another and all looked up as Aryante and Pippin entered the area. Aryante felt a little embarrassed that she was late and wondered how long she had kept them waiting. She and Pippin sat down in chairs next to each other and looked over at Elrond, who had just got out of his chair and stood facing everyone.  
  
"As you all know, there are many reasons as to why we are meeting here today," He said. "One of the reasons is that after today you might not all gather together again, though your paths will most likely cross once more. You all, of course, are welcomed to stay here at Rivendell for as long as you need. In the mean time, I suggest you all make this last day a pleasant one, unlike the last time we had gathered here."  
  
"Oh! Oh!" Aria raised her hand, almost jumping out of her chair.  
  
"Yes?" Elrond slightly raised and eyebrow at her.  
  
"I wrote some songs! Can I sing them for everyone?" Elrond nodded. Aria got up and picked up a guitar from next to her and stood facing everyone. [A/N: It would be an acoustic, not electric for those out there that considers a guitar automatically electric]  
  
"OK, this is my first song and it's called The Fellowship," Aria cleared her throat and started singing. "Frodo. His name sounds like doe, but it's not. Remember what Bilbo said, Frodo. It's a dangerous business going out your door. Especially to get the mail. My cousin died that way. Frodo has a bunch of friends, squishy Samwise and the Brandybuck Merry. The fool of a Took Peregrin with his faithful companion, the other elf lady, who appeared out of know where." Someone muttered a bit loud "Aryante," Aria took no notice of the remark and continued singing.  
  
"And Aragorn, son of Arathorn, son of no one cares, and the Legolas boy with his arrows so ready, and Gandalf who could never die. Then Isabella, she has a cool name. Julia; her name begins with a J. Isn't that great? And that is the Fellowship, la, la, la, la, la!" Everyone politely clapped for her, though there were a few amused looks on some of their faces. Some others were just plain confused while others were trying to think of what to make of the song.  
  
"My next song is called Legolas," Aria said. "Legolas, he is an elf. Legolas, look at him run, look at him run. Where does he get his hair done? When our hair is full of tangles, his is very. Unmangled. He is friend of Dwarves and he is single, and loving it. Legolas, our friend! La, la, la, la, la!" There were a few quiet amused laughs at the question of where does he get his hair done. "My next song is about you, Aryante.  
  
"Aryante, it's like my name, only it's not. She is an elf, like I am, only she's shorter. Her best friend is Pippin," Aria winked at the two of them. "And Frodo and Merry too. And with them together, they'll destroy evil too. La, la, la, la, la!" There were a few less claps than before as they seemed to be getting a bit bored of her short songs. Aryante and the hobbits, on the other hand, were being very amused by them.  
  
"This one is about Aragorn," Aria said. "He's Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of Gondor. He's really cool, has a cool haircut and is married to a cool elf. Boy is he lucky, la, la, la, la, la!" A few clapped and Aryante started to notice that Aria had been only playing one chord the entire time. Also, her songs sounded very much alike. "Here's one about Frodo!  
  
"Frodo, Frodo, he's a nice guy who lives in Bag End. He's pretty wealthy, he's a very eligible bachelor and so am I. Oops, I really just messed that up, but who cares? I'm still gonna play! And Frodo, he has nice eyes, which you can get lost in for a while. Have you tried?? La, la, la-" Aria strummed the guitar a little too hard and dropped it.  
  
"..."She blinked before picking it back up and continued playing. "La, la, la!"  
  
"Any requests? Anyone? OK then, I'll keep singing!" A few people groaned, but, like most things in life, she took no notice.  
  
"This one is called The Land of Mordor Where the Shadows Lie," She cleared her throat and continued playing. "Mordor is really bad. There was evil there that does not sleep. Were they insomniacs? We will never know. Unless we go back. To the gift shop! La, la, la, la, la, la!" She bowed, letting everyone know that she was finished. She got a loud applause from bowing as a lot of the people had gotten tired of her songs a while ago.  
  
It was night now and Aryante had long since snuk away from the others and was walking around outside by herself, listening to the faint voice of elves singing some where behind her with the sound of the voices of everyone inside. She shortly returned back inside and walked into the room where everyone had gathered in. Aragorn, Arwen, Elrond, and Gandalf were talking to each other in a corner while Julia and Isabella were laughing at some jokes Aria was saying. Frodo and Sam were talking with each other while Merry and Pippin were talking to Legolas. Aryante talked for a while to various people before she felt tired. She then walked to her room and closed the door behind her. A few minutes later the door opened and closed again. Aryante turned around and needed no explanation as Pippin lightly pressed her up against the wall as he kissed her passionately. All she knew then was that they were alone together and this time there would be no one to interrupt.  
  
A/N: I am SOOOOOO sorry that it took me this long to get this chapter out! I've been WAY loaded up on homework lately, so there's my not-so-good excuse. Anyway, credit for those. *ahem*. Lovely songs sung by Aria are copyrighted by my friend Ariana. I'm going to be uploading her singing them some time soon (hopefully), so more to come soon! You know the drill if you want to be updated. 


	16. GoodByes

Aryante woke up the next morning, small dots of sunlight partly blocked from a tree shining into the room. She slowly opened her eyes and found Pippin's arms lying protectively around her waist, as if he was afraid she would get up and leave. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes again, wanting to lay there forever. Unfortunately, for both of them, some of their company would be leaving early that day. Aryante pulled the covers over her shoulder as there was a knock on the door and Sam walked in, though he immediately stopped in his tracks when he saw Aryante and Pippin.  
  
"Begging your pardon, Miss Aryante," Sam said, his face turning a bit red from embarrassment. "But Lord Elrond suggested you two get up soon as some might be leaving in a while."  
  
"Thanks, Sam, we will," Aryante said. Sam nodded and quickly left the room. Aryante sighed and turned over, Pippin's arm refusing to move from around her. She lightly nudged his side and Pippin yawned as he slowly opened his eyes. He gave her a sweet, tired smile and a simple, "Hello," while moving a few strands of hair away from her face.  
  
"Hello." She smiled at him. "Sam was just here, he said we should be getting up about now." Pippin yawned and then sighed.  
  
"Fine," he said reluctantly. Aryante got out of the bed and got dressed. As soon as Pippin had done the same, they made their way out of the room and outside to where everyone had gathered. They said good-bye to many members of their Fellowship, all with friendly smiles on their faces. Though they knew that they would one day cross each other's paths, it was hard for them to say good-bye. Especially for Aria, who had burst into tears, complaining that it was too soon to say good-bye, and Isabella had to calm her down by reassuring her that they would visit when they could.  
  
Saying good-bye to Aragorn would probably be one of the hardest things she had ever done. He had been like a brother to her ever since she could remember, and even though she had said good-bye to him on a number of occasions, she knew that it would be a very long time before they saw each other again.  
  
"I do not suppose we shall see each other for quite a while, will we?" Aryante said grievingly to Aragorn.  
  
"Our paths shall cross again, though how soon, I can not tell," Aragorn said.  
  
"But how can you tell? What I mean to say is, what if we don't?" Aragorn smiled and knelt down to her height, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"U mar anda mii ringlossë, mar mii lhunmorûl." [Tanslation: Do not dwell long in the future, dwell in the present.] Aryante gave him a small smile before jumping into his arms, hugging him and wishing that he would never leave. Aragorn returned the hug for a minute and then let go, still smiling at her.  
  
"We shall meet again, I promise."  
  
**  
  
A/N: Yes, yes, I know that was incredibly short. Oh well, I just got home from Ariana's house and she wouldn't stop bugging me to get a chapter out, so blame her ^^; You know the routine if you want to know when the next chapter is out, next one coming soon! 


	17. The Journey Home

A/N: Soooo sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out! I've had so many projects due at once at school; it's driving me insane! If you don't believe me, ask Ariana, she knows what I mean -_-;  
  
  
  
It had been five months since most of the members of the Fellowship had parted from Rivendell, and Aryante, Pippin, Frodo, Merry, and Sam were on their way of doing the same. As much as they loved Rivendell, the hobbits felt that they wanted to go back to the Shire, and Aryante had agreed to go along. They had said thanks and good-bye to the elves that resided in Rivendell and went on their way, heading back on the path they had started on what seemed ages ago, and it seemed as though for the first time after their quest that they felt safe walking on their own in places where anyone might be lurking. They walked most of the days, briefly stopping every few hours to rest. They had only a few days time until they would reach the Shire, yet Aryante felt the need to get there soon; she wasn't sure, but she could almost feel someone, or something, following them. Whatever it was, she quickly shook it from her mind whenever someone started a conversation.  
  
The days following went by quickly, and before they knew it, they were back in the Hobbiton, friendly faces everywhere, as if time had stopped whilst they were away. Aryante, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam made their way up the hill to Baggend, its homely feeling almost reaching out to them. They walked up to the friendly home and opened the door.  
  
"We're home," Frodo said with a smile as he stepped inside. "Finally, it's all over."  
  
** A/N: Yes, I know that was an incredibly long chapter to keep you all waiting for, and I'm sorry for it, but I want to save the ending for the next chapter. Yes, you heard me, the ending. Some of you may be thinking, "Thank God, now we won't have to wait for any more chapters!" To those of you who are thinking that, tough luck, I'm making another one =P  
  
Yes, the adventure continues! And don't worry, it'll be just as good and probably better than these last two fics =)  
  
Next chapter out soon! 


	18. An Ending and Beginning

Aryante walked outside of Baggend in the morning and stepped out onto the grass, still wet from the previous night's rain. She heard footsteps behind her and didn't need to turn around as Pippin put his arms around her, his head gently resting on her shoulder. She looked towards the sun that slowly rise just beyond the mountains far away, ones that she had ventured on not so long ago, and all she could think and hope was that everything would stay as it was now; peaceful; wonderful as the setting and rising of the sun; no more surprises.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Short as that was, that was the last chapter of A Ring of Surprise. If you want sort of a movie feeling to reading this last chapter, listen to The Breaking of the Fellowship of the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, starting at 4:37 (four minutes and thirty-seven seconds). It's a little before In Dreams. I actually wrote this chapter while listening to it, and it sounded pretty cool since In Dreams starts about a second or two after you finish reading.  
  
Anyway, I'm going to start working on a new fanfiction. If you'd like to know when the first chapter is posted, feel free to e-mail me at Awinters64@hotmail.com and I'll tell you. I promise you, your time won't be wasted by reading the next fanfiction.  
  
So until next time, happy reading, and don't forget to see the other The Lord of the Rings movies when they come out! 


End file.
